For the great Secwepemc leader Arthur Manuel, decolonization meant recovering the land, and rebuilding the economy. His book “The Reconciliation Manifesto” presents a devastating look at the backrooms and predatory spaces of settler state colonialism in Canada. But it also theorizes in plain language the steps Indigenous peoples are taking and must take to get back their lands and emplace themselves back in protective spaces of belonging and political freedom.

A collection of reflections that encompass a multiplicity of vital issues and analysis on Canadian bureaucracy, policies, legislation, law, and culture, this book also tackles the complicated culture of “Indian Act” governments, put in place by Canada and structured to be complicit with the worst of Canada’s assimilation agenda.

This season, we invite people to join us in another national reading campaign of The Reconciliation Manifesto.

The project of “Canada Must Read” was launched simultaneously with the Defenders of the Land / Idle No More campaign #Unsettle150 to counter the 2017 celebrations of Canada’s 150 years of colonization. We selected Arthur Manuel’s first book, “Unsettling Canada: A National Wake-Up Call” to launch the series, since it so clearly and beautifully spells out the recent history of Indigenous political struggle on these lands. Hundreds of people took up the call and read the book, on their own or in study groups, and reached out to tell us how much they learned and were affected by Manuel’s powerful writing.